Russia offers cease-fire to let rebels disperse

BEIRUT -- Russia said Wednesday that it would halt air raids against Syria's al-Qaida affiliate, the Nusra Front, to give other rebel factions a chance to distance themselves from the extremist group.

The move comes less than a week after Moscow proposed conducting joint airstrikes in Syria with a U.S.-led coalition that is attacking the Islamic State militant group there. U.S. officials have rejected that idea, even as coordination with Russia over a partial truce in the country apparently has increased.

Russian news agencies carried a vague statement attributed to Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, a Russian Defense Ministry spokesman, declaring that unidentified Syrian opposition groups had asked Moscow to suspend attacks.

It said the rebel factions, including in Damascus and Aleppo, agreed to stop "provocative" shelling of government targets. In return, the statement said, Russia would suspend airstrikes for an unspecified period to allow the groups to "separate" from the Nusra Front.

Even though the Nusra Front is not party to the truce, the rebel forces that are, including U.S.-backed groups, have coordinated with it during attacks on government positions.

Rebel fighters contacted by telephone, however, denied any communication with Russia, which late last year began a military intervention in the conflict on behalf of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

"The Russian statement is totally inaccurate," said Qutaiba al-Dughaim, a fighter with the Northern Division rebel group. "None of the rebels in northern Syria have any contact with the Russians."

He said the Russian announcement was an attempt to further divide Syria's fractured opposition.

Rebel fighters have been alarmed by signs of growing U.S. coordination with Russia even though both countries have opposing positions on Assad's fate. U.S. officials say the interaction involves videoconferences limited to flight safety. Currently, both countries target the Islamic State independently.

Rebel groups say the United States is more interested in fighting the extremist group than backing them against Assad's forces. They fear that the United States will bend to Russian demands concerning Assad's fate in the hope of joint operations against the Islamic State.

Mark Toner, a State Department spokesman, on Monday dismissed the possibility of military cooperation with Russia. U.S. officials have been discussing with Moscow "proposals for sustainable mechanisms to better monitor and enforce" the cease-fire, he said. "We're not looking at joint operations."

The Russian announcement Wednesday could be related to the issue of labeling terrorist groups, a major point of contention in keeping the truce together. Despite Russian requests, the United States refuses the designation for Ahrar al-Sham, an anti-Assad Islamist coalition allied with the Nusra Front.

Syrian state media blamed Ahrar al-Sham for suicide bombings Monday in pro-government coastal areas that killed more than 100 people. Ahrar al-Sham denied responsibility for the attacks, which were later claimed by the Islamic State.

Separately, a United Nations report issued Wednesday said food aid has reached nearly half the civilians trapped in besieged areas of Syria, but much more remains to be done to help the 13.5 million in need across the war-torn nation.

The monthly report to the Security Council found that despite a teetering cessation of hostilities there was an overall increase in fighting and a significant rise in civilian casualties as well as the destruction of hospitals, markets and schools in April.

According to the report, food assistance has reached more than 200,000 people or 41.9 percent of those living in besieged areas, nearly double the 21 percent reached in March.

"While that is positive, overall progress is small and fragile. We remain far short of consistently meeting the needs of the 13.5 million civilians in need in the Syrian Arab Republic," the report said.

The report also said the killing of civilians and violations of human rights rose sharply in April after a period of relative calm.

"The resumption of active conflict in several governorates hindered the effective delivery of humanitarian assistance, as well as people's access to essential services," the report added.

The report said that of the 35 relief convoys planned for May and intended to reach 904,750 people in hard-to-reach areas, the Syrian government had granted full approval only for 14, as of May 4, and had conditionally approved eight more. Planned deliveries to 375,000 people in 13 other locations had not been approved.

Information for this article was contributed by Hugh Naylor and Zakaria Zakaria of The Washington Post and by staff members of The Associated Press.

A Section on 05/26/2016

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